Navigating Fragile Borders: Wolfgang Tillmans at Maureen Paley, 9 June-31 July
- Jun 6, 2016
- 2 min read
The atmospheric waves of the Atlantic sea are focal point of experimental fine-art photographer Wolfgang Tillmans’ eighth solo exhibition presented by Maureen Paley. A diverse display of new and previously unseen work, the show will focus on the visible and invisible borders that define and sometimes control us.
Born in Germany and currently based in Berlin, Tillmans has received huge critical acclaim for his work including the Royal Photographic Society Award. Next year he is set to return to London for a major exhibition at Tate Modern, reinforcing his position as an influential photographer and making the display at Maureen Paley a chance to see his work in a more intimate setting.
The expansive seascape, The State We’re In (2015), will be central to the downstairs gallery, with the unframed print documenting the open water of the Atlantic Ocean where international timelines and borders intersect. This will be exhibited alongside imagery made at the Northern and Southern European Observatories that look beyond our national boundaries. Also on show will be as selection of elemental photographs such as an intense study of the visual effects of the Sun’s light entering our planet’s atmosphere. Alongside an image of human blood flowing through plastic tubes, exploring the relationship between anatomy and technology.
The exhibition also includes a new grouping of tables that follow on from his installation and ongoing series Truth Study centre will be installed in the upstairs gallery. The provocative I refuse to be your enemy 2 (2016) enacts another use of this display format by presenting various sizes of blank office paper from Europe and North America. Inspired by a workshop he gave to students in Iran last year, this work examines the similarities in our nationalised forms of printed communication and how these formats can unite rather than divide us.
Maureen Paley
21, Herald Street,
London, E2 6JT
Image: 'The State We're In, A' (2015) ©Wolfgang Tillmans, courtesy Maureen Paley, London
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